KINGS -at- LAKERS - 10/21 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:45 pm    Post subject: KINGS -at- LAKERS - 10/21 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Superman vs. Buzzkill... Close your eyes for a moment and listen the crowd at Staples tonight. You might think this was a game in May or June or, perhaps, the upcoming season opener. The schedule said it was a meaningless preseason game. The starting lineup said otherwise.

This was the night Dwight Howard made his Laker debut.

The buzz of palpable human electricity flowed through Staples, and some genius has it so most Laker fans in Southern California can't see the damn game.

Superman meet Buzzkill, your new arch enemy.

"Booooooo!" Dwight Howard said as he gave two thumbs down to Time Warner in a live interview with John Ireland after the game.

Tell 'em, Dwight. Superman dyed his cape purple and gold and no one can see it.

Finally, a game to analyze, to sink your teeth into. A glimpse at what might be. With Dwight on the floor, this team changes dramatically. Why?

If you could watch the game, Dwight gave you an eye-full:

- Defenders afraid to leave him and help on other Lakers driving to the hoop. He's a planet with his own gravitational pull.

- The Lakers getting into the bonus early. Can't let Dwight dunk. Uh oh...and what about Kobe, Pau, Nash? The whistles came fast.

- The ball moved. Pau and Kobe came alive with the pass to their high-flying bigman as they explored the possibilities against a live opponent. The offense gave hints of things to come.

- Shot challenges and a higher percentage of alterations. Make a mistake and there is still a chance to get a stop. Dwight's timing may not be there, but his 4 blocked shots were still a sight. More too come here as his timing improves.

Forget the 99-92 loss even though Mike Brown wanted to get a "W." You could see guys pressing a bit to get the ball to Dwight. Nash had a few miscues and said some of the sloppy ball was due in part to that. They were flexing their new Dwight Howard muscle and exploring its dynamic.

Of course, the bench says, "All that is great but can we see him, too?"

You can't blame the bench in this game when you still have Brown running wholesale subs. That won't fly in the regular season. You have to stagger the substitutions more to keep more minutes with impact players and your bench. That's what you do with an average bench. You don't sit all five of your starters.

"We've got to get that bench in sync now and play a little better," Kobe said. "...It's pretty effortless for us."

Hopefully, they get it together before the regular season hits. Same with Time Warner.


Kobe -- -- The defense just can't load up on Kobe with all the ball movement. It may not be a work of art yet, but you can see how quickly and efficiently he's able to strike. The options for Kobe in the Princeton open up even further with the addition of Dwight. There was one sequence in the first half where Kobe worked the offense for a FT jumper, easiest jumper on the floor. Next time, they ran it from the other side and Kobe lobbed to Dwight instead of taking that shot. So deadly. As they explore these sequences and get experience, the chemistry and execution will look better and better. There were a number of open looks in this game that Kobe actually passed up on to try to get something better. He just needs to let those fly. He's a knockdown shooter when left open. Take those. The Lakers stumbled in the final minute with their execution. Kobe had a couple of long threes on some poorly drawn up sequences. With Nash out there, you need to have the D make more decisions than it did on those two set plays. Should be fun to see once they work out the bugs. Again, another efficient game from Kobe, who got his 21 points on 12 shots. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 6-12 shooting (1-4 from three, 8-8 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He drained a three on a drive and kick from Howard to start the offense. He attacked and couldn't finish the drive, flying into the stands (he wanted the foul). He stepped through a trap under the hoop and drew FTs, he made both. He attacked quickly off the Nash pass and scored a layup at the rim. He attacked across the paint in early offense and drew FTs, he made both. He set up Howard for the And-1 with a bounce pass off the two-man game. He sank a pull-up FT out of a handoff in the Princeton. He lobbed to Dwight off the same play on the other side of the court, dunk for D12. He missed a wide open three. He swished a wing jumper at the buzzer on a full-court passing sequence from MWP to Pau to Kobe with 3 seconds left. He had 13 points on 4-6 shooting to go with 2 assists. Second Half: He attacked from the three line and spun up and in a tough reverse at the shotclock buzzer. He passed up a wide open three to attack (3 seconds on a big). He missed a sideline three. He attacked in transition, spun, pumped and drew FTs, he made both. He traveled trying to bring up the ball and initiate the offense for Nash (fail on his one attempt, oops). He posted up his man, spun, pumped twice and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He threw a pass away trying to hit Pau. He had 6 points on 1-2 shooting in the third. He backed his man down and hit the baseline turnaround. He attacked and fed Pau for the short one in the paint. He missed a quick-fire fading three from the wing (plenty of time left to work for a better shot). He barely hit rim on a three.

Howard -- -- Dwight's much anticipated return to court gave Staples a rare preseason buzz. Yes, Dwight Howard is actually a Laker. Surrounded by Pau, Kobe and Nash, the passing to Dwight will be superb this season. Each hit him for a lob dunk. However, once they start seeing plays before they happen, look out. They are just feeling things out right now. The defense had some better moments with him out there. They didn't have as many one-and-out possessions as they should have, and while Dwight blocked 4 shots and altered a few others. He'll typically impact more shots than that defensively. "You could tell his timing was off a bit at times," Brown said. Brown has said he's looked like he could play in a full game for a couple of weeks, but you can't duplicate that game action without playing the actual games. Dwight had 5 turnovers, a couple on some weird big-to-big passing at the three point line. Dwight struggled with his freethrow shooting, which isn't a surprise. Get used to that as the main weakness of a guy who has career highs of 45 points, 26 rebounds, 10 blocks and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons before last year. Nash heard someone say Dwight had to go out first since it was his first game. "I just grabbed Pau and held him back," Nash said. Howard ran out by himself and turned to find no teammates with him. "They got me. They got me," Dwight said of the rookie treatment. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting (3-8 from the line) to go with 12 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 4 blocks, 5 turnovers and 4 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He attacked and kicked to Kobe for a three. He threw down a dunk from Pau on a high-low lob for his first score as a Laker. He lost the handle trying to create in the post. Great challenge to force a Kings miss in the paint. He was fouled on a couple putback attempts off a Kobe miss, he missed both FTs. He was blocked form behind on a dunk. He couldn't secure a lob. He stripped a man under the hoop. He blocked a reverse on a help rotation. He created with the shotclock low and was fouled across the middle of the lane, he made both. He was stripped by Hayes as he turned to his left (keep it high against him). He took the quick bounce pass off the two-man sequence with Kobe and scored the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He threw down a lob dunk from Kobe off a Princeton split sequence. He blocked a shot to ignite a break. Kobe set him up for FTs under the hoop, he missed both. He cleaned up a Kobe missed three with an And-1 putback score and hit the floor with a thud (Staples suddenly quiet), he made the FT. He had 11 points on 4-5 shooting (3-8 from the line) to go with 6 boards and 3 blocks in 16 minutes. Second Half: He missed a short jumphook. He hit a lefty hook. He threw down a putback dunk off a Peace miss. He took a pass and was stripped, wanting the foul. He had 15 and 8 after three quarters. He dunked off the drive and dish from Jamison. He altered a PG layup attempt to get a stop. His perimeter pass to Pau was picked off, dunk the other way. He threw down a lob from Nash after spinning backdoor. Nice challenge on the other end to force an airball on a shooter. He couldn't secure a D board and it led to a putback with over a minute left. He complained about being held as he went up for a Kobe lob that he couldn't secure.

Nash -- -- He took contact in the backcourt on a sloppy pass from Kobe, Thomas fouling him as he drove a foot right into Nash's ankle, turning it harshly. Nash got up hobbling a bit and played his rotation, then went to the locker room to get it retaped. Laker fans want to see their new additions together and you could tell by the silence on that play that Staples was holding its collective breaths. It was retaped in the locker room, minor tweak and Nash played in the fourth. He described it as "a little sore," but didn't think it would affect him much. Nash missed a key shot in the final minute, a short floater in the lane. Great look. "I'll take that any day of the week," Nash said. Nine times out of 10, he'll make that one, too. Nash forced a couple lobs to Dwight that weren't there, hit him on another. It's a work in progress for sure. Still, far too many possessions with the ball out of his hands. They need to work on the Princeton. At some point, however, there will likely be a need for Nash to take over for a stretch running two-man sequences. My note section is way too short for Nash. They've got to throttle that up. I'd like to see him and Dwight run most of the first quarter so that they can play with the bench for at least 3 minutes. Both are used to playing most of the first quarter anyway. Brown did bring them back in a little early in the fourth to have a very brief run with the second unit and you will likely see that happening more (either early or late in the rotation). The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He forced a lob to Howard, turnover, dunk the other way. He hit Metta in transition for a three. He drew FTs pushing up the dribble (Kings were in the penalty already), instant two FTs. He missed a tech FT, oops. He attacked off the Pau screen, pulled the ball up from his hip and scored a layup (probably an And-1). He fouled Brooks on a three. He sank an 18-footer working off the high Pau screen, too easy (more please). He had 6 points on 2-2 shooting, 4 boards and 2 assists. Second Half: He missed a fading pull-up jumper. His lob to Howard was picked off. He missed a pull-up 17-footer. Perfect lob to Dwight spinning backdoor for the dunk. He missed a pull-up jumper off the Howard screen (Pau got it and drew FTs). He short-armed a 6-foot floater in the lane on a key final possession, should have had that one, but glad to see him aggressive and not deferring in that situation.

Gasol -- -- The high-low passing from Pau looks even better than anticipated. The Lakers explored it early in the game, but not much later. Again, this is a play that will be there more if they run the two-man game with Nash. This should be especially fun to watch when they actually click. "There's much more space when he's out there," Pau said of playing with Dwight. He described it as easy. Pau had a few jumpers late in the game. With this offense, he'll also be able to work in the low post even with Dwight out there. Things happen fast and post position can be gained quickly and attacked quickly. Still, we need to stagger our bigs rotations just to make sure we get Pau some minutes on the block. We ran him to close out the first and third quarters with the bench and were unsuccessful at featuring him then. Second unit has to know to run the ball through their impact players and get it to them where they can do damage or draw the D. The second unit will get at least 3-4 more minutes with Dwight on the floor. Pau ran the most of anyone tonight with 36. Dwight will get that and possibly a minute or two more than what he ran tonight. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-8 shooting (4-6 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 36 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He lobbed to Howard for a dunk. He slammed off the post entry feed from Metta. Nice D to get a travel on Cousins. He attacked with speed and drew FTs, he missed both. He attacked from the elbow and threw down (very nice). He spun on his man and drew FTs on the reverse, he made both. He found Meeks for three with the shotclock low. He airballed a turnaround baseline jumper. He took a long pass from Metta, dribbled and hit Kobe for a jumper at the buzzer. He had 6 points and 5 assists at the half. Second Half: He dunked off a cherry-picking play in transition. He swished a 19-footer when the D sagged to help on a rolling Dwight. He missed an open wing jumper on his next attempt. He hit a floater off an interior pass from Kobe. He drew FTs on a missed Nash jumper, he made both.

Peace -- -- He dislocated his right middle finger, but doesn't expect to miss any games. Shots from distance? That's another question. Production-wise, he had a good night. The thing that hurt were the 4 turnovers and some of the poor thinking on the offensive end of the game. I don't know why he isn't the first one to be subbed out, especially in a game like this when there's not an All-NBA threat to defend. He would be much more effective getting subbed out early and returning with the bench. You don't want the first unit offense to run through him, you want the second unit to have more of that. They need it. Too many possessions didn't go through Nash or Kobe or Dwight and went through Metta. Take him out early, bring him back in with our more perimeter oriented bigs of the second unit and let him go to work. Defensively, he was active with the 4 steals. That's something that took a few months into the season to see last year. He just wasn't disruptive until he lost that weight and got into game shape. You can see at times where Metta and Dwight are going to cause opponents all kinds of issues on that end of the floor. Should be fun to watch as D12 gets himself into game shape. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-11 shooting (3-6 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go wtih 4 boards, 1 assist, 4 steals, 4 turnovers and 1 foul in 36 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: Nice post entry to Pau for a dunk. He attacked off the three line and scored an uncontested layup. He swished a three in transition. He missed a three in transition. He stole it back on the other end, but traveled after being told to back it out. He backed his man down from the three line and drew FTs, he made one. He missed a wide open three in transition (crowd wanted that one). He clanked a jumper in the paint on messy break with Kobe. He fumbled a kickout pass, shotclock low, he rose up and drilled the three. Nice 50-foot inbounds pass to Pau at the end of the half to set up a Kobe score at the buzzer. He had 9 points on 3-6 shooting and 1 steal. Second Half: He pushed up the offense, didn't give it up, tried to create from the corner, turned it over and fouled (just give it to Nash, would ya?). He missed a wide open three. He then missed a layup (fouled with no call), but Howard cleaned it up. He airballed a three (possession never got to Nash or Kobe). He hustled back to get a stop in transition and it led to an uncontested dunk for Pau. He jumped a passing lane next time down and deflected a pass to get another stop. He scooped up a loose ball, pushed it out with speed and had his layup goaltended. He fumbled a post entry pass away. He was called for a charge next time down. He hit a fading corner three with the ball dumped in his lap and the shotclock about to expire. Great effort to strip-block Cousins from behind and save a dunk.

Jamison -- -- "It's not coming along fast enough," Jamison said of the second unit. He came in to run with Pau and the bench and then with Sacre. I'd much rather see Dwight go the extended minutes in the first quarter so guys like Meeks and Jamison can play off him and open the floor up for Dwight's post play. With how much the D naturally gravitates toward Dwight versus Pau, it will make things easier. There was only a brief minute or so in the fourth quarter when Nash and Dwight came in to go with that bench unit. Jamison found him for a dunk during that stretch, probably his lone highlight. Once Brown gets that straightened out, things will look a lot steadier. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He gave up a putback score to Hayes. He attacked and was blocked, score in transition the other way. Second Half: He was blocked under the hoop cutting off Pau. He missed an open three. He attacked off the three line and hit Dwight for the dunk.

Meeks -- -- In the first half, he got to step into a couple of threes and knocked them down. In his second stint, you could see how much more scrambled the offense was and Meeks wasn't able to play to his strengths then. We want shooters around the big four. Bring him in sooner and slide Kobe over to SF for a minute or two. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He swished an open wing three with the shotclock low. He drained a wing three in transition. He missed a runner. Second Half: He got tapped on a 17-footer curling off the screens.

Blake -- -- He didn't start the first half as Brown split duties with his PGs. Duhon probably won this battle tonight. Blake hit a three, but had a -9 to Duhon's -5. That's usually a somewhat dubious stat taken in a vacuum, but it might be something to watch as far as which backup PG holds the line better while on the floor. Neither PG worked particularly well with Pau or Jamison, expect that to improve. No time for any chemistry with Howard. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting from three and had 1 assist and 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He sank a wing three popping off the screens on the weakside.

Ebanks -- -- With Jamison as the backup PF, Ebanks ran as the backup SF with Meeks at SG. Devin got the ball dumped in his lap on a few possessions behind the three line with the shotclock low. That won't help the shooting percentage and was a sign of how much problems the second unit had in manufacturing anything. Ebanks had the team-low -16. The Laker bench had just 18 points to the Kings 57 points off their bench. The Kings could have started both Brooks and Thornton, so that rotation led to some of the difference...and also the difference in the outcome. Ebanks probably should have had 4 more points to his total, but had a couple of baskets erased on whistles. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He missed a three with the shotclock low. He missed another wing three with the shotclock winding down again. He hit a short one off an offensive board. Second Half: He missed a good look at a three with the shotclock low. He scooped up a loose ball, pushed it up and scored a layup. He was called for a push-off as he went up (weak call, erasing a make against the shotclock).

Duhon -- -- He was the backup point for the first half. He did a pretty decent job on both ends until taking a couple of ill-advised long jumpers in early offense. Erase that poor decision making from his game and he would have had the better game than Blake (he probably still did). But no one to blame for those self-inflicted wounds but himself. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 8 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He drew a charge right after entering the game to get a stop. He jumped a passing lane, stole it and took it the distance for the layup. He hit Meeks for a three in transition. He missed a toe-on-the-three-line straight away in early offense (worst shot you can take in those situations). Poor decision on a long three in transition and he missed. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Sacre -- -- With the moving screen calls and illegal D, he was looking more rookie-like tonight. With Jordan Hill cleared for practice, I imagine Brown has these minutes lined up for Hill. The 3 turnovers hurt, no question, but it's reassuring that this hasn't been a frequent thing from Sacre. The second unit didn't have anyone who could really create a shot other than Jamison, who rarely got the ball. That resulted in some weak dump-ins to Sacre to go to work in the post. This isn't how we want to attack, even if that was Jordan Hill. I look at that weakness and see CDR sitting on the bench and think, let's see how he looks out there. Hopefully, we still have that option come regular season. Credit Sacre for being able to actually manufacture a little something when given the ball. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-2 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 9 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He was called for an illegal D when the ball was 40 feet from the hoop. He was called for a moving screen to start the quarter. He sank a turnaround jumper in the post. He was whistled for another moving screen, erasing an Ebanks hoop. Second Half: He drew FTs on a turnaround in the post, he made one. He was stripped by Hayes in the post. He missed a turnaround in the post.

Brown -- -- He's about to feel some heat in the preseason. With Dwight on the floor, the pressure on Mike Brown increases dramatically. Any failure is going to fall squarely on Brown's shoulders. You can sense it the moment the game started. Laker fans want domination. Brown's weak rotations in this game will come into question during and after the game... Kings were in the penalty after 5 and half minutes... He sat Nash for Duhon with over 4:30 left in the quarter, Lakers up 4... Dwight sat a few seconds later for Jamison... He sat Kobe for Meeks and Metta for Ebanks with 3 minutes left up 6... Brown called timeout when the D could't get stops to lead by 2... He sat Pau for Sacre wtih 1:30 left. So, no starters in there to close the quarter. Even if he had Hill instead of Sacre, this would be a crappy rotation if he's planning on this. But it may still be a preaseason bench thing... The Lakers shot 13 FTs but couldn't build a lead... The Lakers led just 29-28 as they struggled to get stops in the first quarter... He started the same Sacre, Jamison, Ebanks, Meeks, Duhon unit... Brown called a timeout, trailing by 1... Down 1, he brought in Howard and Nash for Sacre and Duhon at the 8-minute mark... He brought back in Kobe and Metta a minute later. Pau resting a long time. He came in at the 6:41 mark to get the starters back in... The starters put the clamps on and began to get some separation. A 19-4 run... He brought in Ebanks for Nash defensively, then Nash back in with 3 seconds left offensively... The Lakers led 57-46. The Lakers shot 60% (20-33, 5-10 3Pt, 12-21 FT). The Kings shot 37.8% (17-45, 4-12 3Pt, 8-8 FT). The Lakers had 15 assists on their 20 makes. with 9 turnovers... The Lakers 11-point lead was erased after 3 minutes into the second half... He sat Nash for Blake at the 4-minute mark... He sat Howard for Jamsion a minute later... Ebanks and Meeks in for Kobe and MWP... They gave up the lead with Pau in at C with the bench around him... They trailed 74-72 heading into the fourth... He started a Sacre, Jamison, Ebanks, Meeks, Blake unit. No staggered subs to keep a couple starters in. The offense running through Sacre too much... The Lakers trailed by 5 after 3 minutes. He brought in Nash and Howard... A couple minutes later, he went to the rest of the starters... The Howard/Gasol perimeter passing sequences with both bigs at the three line leaves a lot to be desired. Twice they were picked off for dunks the other way... A 6-0 run for the Kings to lead by 3 with 17.4 left. Brown called a timeout. Poor Kobe looks out of two deadballs... The Lakers shot 49%, the Kings shot 41%. The Kings made 21-21 from the line, the Lakers 19-29. The Lakers had 22 turnovers to the Kings 13... "It will be interesting to go back and watch the tape to see where the turnovers lie," Brown said...
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mhan00
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:47 pm    Post subject:

Howard is amazing.
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AceFresh
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:57 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
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PLATNUM
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:10 pm    Post subject:

The Lakers fast break is non-existent. Yea, the game slows down in the playoffs yada yada, but so many potentially "easy" points are left on the table when you can't run a legit FB. Nash charging up the court and you've got "Bull in a china shop" MWP barrelling into the paint for some good comedy relief... It's sad when the best option on the break is your Center.


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LoyalLakerfan44
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:22 pm    Post subject:

You said it best DB Lakers fans want domination, but it's going to take time. Maybe this year may not be enough to see how good this machine really is.
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dino
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:23 pm    Post subject:

thanks db...really perplexed by the substitution patterns...not putting the bench in position to succeed...

also, turnovers and a lack of familiarity contributed a lot to this loss...2 botched exchanges led to dunks for cousins and the last of cousin's drives against pau, dwight was just half a step late for...
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busym
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:29 pm    Post subject:

The Lakers player better tonight. Howard is awesome Nash Kolbe and Pau aren't chopped liver either.And MWP played ok.Let the regular season start. This is going to be a fun season. Showtime revisited. Great writeup as usual DB. Thank you.
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circlefong
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:10 am    Post subject:

The progress is good, but a win will be better.
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lalakeshow88
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:10 am    Post subject:

Quote:
Nash heard someone say Dwight had to go out first since it was his first game. "I just grabbed Pau and held him back," Nash said. Howard ran out by himself and turned to find no teammates with him. "They got me. They got me," Dwight said of the rookie treatment


That's funny.

Thanks, great as usual DB.
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Tanlentueux
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:39 am    Post subject:

mhan00 wrote:
Howard is amazing.
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aticusCL
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:48 am    Post subject:

I've been a die-hard Laker fan for 32 years and I've NEVER been more excited for the season to start!
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SilverBullet
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:13 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. It was a great game last night despite the loss.
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smoothazsilk
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:14 am    Post subject:

DB ..your spot on about Mike Brown. I know its just preseason but I just dont think hes the right fit for this team
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:40 am    Post subject:

Thx, DB!

Fire Mike Brown.
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LakersMDGurl
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:05 am    Post subject:

Ehhhh, same old story.. Laker Bench sucking again.. we cannot win with a lousy bench.. I know it preseason but ehhhh
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:30 am    Post subject:

PLATNUM wrote:
It's sad when the best option on the break is your Center.



That would be Kobe. Who can actually change directions on the dribble.
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cash24
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:31 am    Post subject:

busym wrote:
The Lakers player better tonight. Howard is awesome Nash Kolbe and Pau aren't chopped liver either.And MWP played ok.Let the regular season start. This is going to be a fun season. Showtime revisited. Great writeup as usual DB. Thank you.


Kolbe?

they definitely aren't chopped liver. haha
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:16 am    Post subject:

Bluhon: 2012, player making $7.5m and producing at bottom 10% of the league. See also "opportunity cost."
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wolfpaclaker
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:16 am    Post subject:

Scary part about yesterday, I only saw the first half before I fell asleep, the team actually looked like they were trying. I don't believe we were not trying to win any of these games, 0-6 means we're getting beat, plain and simple.

Our starters looked really good, like something that will be deadly with time.

But the bench looks awful, just as bad as last year, with guys who can't create anything, maybe a couple guys who can knock down 3's (Meeks).

I'm hoping Jamison can pick it up. Also Mike Brown will need to tighten that rotation up in the RS, we can't be sitting 3 or all 4 of the big 4 and rely so heavily on the bench.

That said, the Princeton is a great offense for our 2nd unit to master. They actually need it. The starters looked best when they were having Howard move off the ball and had guys driving the ball from behind Howard. It seems all the attention goes to Howard when he is out there from the opposing defense.

I don't know if it's Princeton or not, but one play I like is where Nash brings the ball up to the wing, Howard sets the screen and then rolls to the basket. Nash passes to Pau who is at the high post and Pau-Howard have a hi-lo sequence. It resulted in chaos for the opposing defense. That play should be money, when we get the timing right. Teams will either leave Pau, or overplay Nash or Howard. Someone of that 3 is getting a great shot. We should run that play about 20-25 times a game and just move the ball to the open man if Nash or Howard are overplayed by the defense. It would lead to shots for everyone on the team, not just those 3.

Also we got to figure out how to lob/enter the ball to Howard. Don't want to over do it. Watching Howard out there, I thought to myself, this guy reminds me of Bynum of 2007, when we were able to just get a post target and a guy who would just play above the rim all the time. It's special watching Dwight do it, because he's even more athletic and quicker than Drew of 2007-08. And this is Howard still far from his best shape, I could tell he was huffing and puffing still. I think yesterday we saw 70% of the real Howard, and even this version of Howard looked like the best C in the league. And trust me, he's got significant more to give as he's still not in game conditioning or having the timing back.
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yinoma2001
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:31 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Scary part about yesterday, I only saw the first half before I fell asleep, the team actually looked like they were trying. I don't believe we were not trying to win any of these games, 0-6 means we're getting beat, plain and simple.

Our starters looked really good, like something that will be deadly with time.

But the bench looks awful, just as bad as last year, with guys who can't create anything, maybe a couple guys who can knock down 3's (Meeks).

I'm hoping Jamison can pick it up. Also Mike Brown will need to tighten that rotation up in the RS, we can't be sitting 3 or all 4 of the big 4 and rely so heavily on the bench.

That said, the Princeton is a great offense for our 2nd unit to master. They actually need it. The starters looked best when they were having Howard move off the ball and had guys driving the ball from behind Howard. It seems all the attention goes to Howard when he is out there from the opposing defense.

I don't know if it's Princeton or not, but one play I like is where Nash brings the ball up to the wing, Howard sets the screen and then rolls to the basket. Nash passes to Pau who is at the high post and Pau-Howard have a hi-lo sequence. It resulted in chaos for the opposing defense. That play should be money, when we get the timing right. Teams will either leave Pau, or overplay Nash or Howard. Someone of that 3 is getting a great shot. We should run that play about 20-25 times a game and just move the ball to the open man if Nash or Howard are overplayed by the defense. It would lead to shots for everyone on the team, not just those 3.

Also we got to figure out how to lob/enter the ball to Howard. Don't want to over do it. Watching Howard out there, I thought to myself, this guy reminds me of Bynum of 2007, when we were able to just get a post target and a guy who would just play above the rim all the time. It's special watching Dwight do it, because he's even more athletic and quicker than Drew of 2007-08. And this is Howard still far from his best shape, I could tell he was huffing and puffing still. I think yesterday we saw 70% of the real Howard, and even this version of Howard looked like the best C in the league. And trust me, he's got significant more to give as he's still not in game conditioning or having the timing back.


Wolf, I think the team needs to do a substitution pattern that does the following:

1. Nash out Bluhon in with Kobe. (1 perimeter creator, check).
2. Kobe out, Nash and Meeks in. (1 perimeter creator, check).

NEVER Kobe AND Nash out. Result is ZERO perimeter creators, leading to the hot mess we see out there.

I'd hate to separate Kobe/Nash this much, but it's clear that Bluhon and Meeks won't get the job done. And until CDR is cut...#FREECDR. (another perimeter creator, which gives us a grand total of 3).
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Hammett
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:56 am    Post subject:

Great to see D12 on the DB write-up!

Thanks DB!
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thurloly
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:06 am    Post subject:

I understand the heat for MB. With 4 HoF felt in his lap, the pressure is always on the coach. He signed up for it, and he knew it. He wants fame, money, and a good team to be successful. He has all the resources.

Though Phil is notorious for his dislike of rookie, he still makes some good role players out of Ariza, Famar, Brown, etc... So, I hope MB can do the same thing.

Moreover, I feel like MB doesn't know how to deal with in-game situation. He needs to know what to do when his players get in trouble or the other teams change their game plan. He needs to adapt to other team coaches' strategies. This is like playing chess.


Last edited by thurloly on Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:14 am; edited 2 times in total
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d1
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:07 am    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
Thx, DB!

Fire Mike Brown.


By far the thing I'm most worried about (other than health) is Mike Brown's rotations and in-game adjustments.

I remember when we had Del Harris. I felt the same way. I felt the team had the right players just not the right coach.
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SmokeAndAshes
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:33 am    Post subject:

Thanks for the recap

The good from last night: Dwight in a Laker uniform ...Dwight gets easy dunks from Pau, Kobe and Nash .....defense leaving guys open because they were afraid to leave D12....that awesome play to end the 1st half

The bad: Mike Brown and the bench rotations.

I said it after the 1st preseason game (and got roundly criticized for over-reacting) but it's not so much that our bench is horrible (though Jamieson is not helping my theory) but it's HOW Mike Brown is using them. You cannot tell me that - outside of Lamar - the 2009 & 2010 benches were that superior to what we now have. And given how improved our starting 5 is, any talent difference more than equals out. But Phil utilized his role players better.

The wishlist: Given how Aaron Brooks was torching us, I wish Brown had tried DJO on him. DJO matches up in athleticism and size with Brooks, and he was a good defender in college. Would he stop Brooks? Probably not, but he could have slowed him down....I also would have loved to see CDR. He could have made a real difference in the bench scoring last night.


Last edited by SmokeAndAshes on Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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All Net
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:53 am    Post subject:

Losing with the starters in shouldn't happen no matter how early it is
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